


Royal Children

by Auriana Valoria (AuriV1)



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:12:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuriV1/pseuds/Auriana%20Valoria
Summary: King Alistair Theirin and his new lady friend try to find some peaceful alone time together, but unfortunately, his two mabari are determined to steal his attention. And his food.
Relationships: Alistair/Female Trevelyan (Dragon Age)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	Royal Children

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Captain_Savvy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Savvy/gifts).



> This was originally my half of a fic trade with @Captain_Savvy. :D

"Rowan! Moira! Stop that!"

Captain Trevelyan's attention was caught by her companion's annoyed voice. Glancing back over her shoulder as she rinsed her hands in the stream, Alora couldn't help but smile at the sight of King Alistair fighting his own mabari over the picnic basket he'd brought with them to this secluded forest grove. After enduring useless bickering in court for the past two weeks, His Majesty the King of Ferelden had managed to buy some much-needed personal time for himself, all under the guise of a "hunting trip," and had brought only his designated bodyguard and his faithful hounds with him.

It wasn't precisely a lie; he simply hadn't specified _what_ exactly it was he was hunting _for_.

Unfortunately, the king's two faithful mabari seemed bound and determined to replace the Bannorn as his chief annoyance - together, the loyal and royal girls had knocked him down to the ground right after he had untied the basket from his saddle, and both were now about to absolutely _wreck_ the contents within in order to get to the roasted meat packed inside...

"Rowan! Moira!" Alora snapped, rising to her feet and scolding the scheming pair with pointed finger.

Suddenly, the two mabari's heads lifted at once, both dogs looking at her with almost wide-eyed expressions of innocence. Despite being a Marcher, these Fereldan hounds somehow listened to her far better than they listened to their rightful master. Upon hearing her chastising tone, they ducked their heads shyly and tucked their short-tailed bottoms, trotting away when she approached to right the basket and take charge of unpacking it.

"Oh, now, none of that guilting nonsense," Alora added firmly, knowing _exactly_ the kind of emotional blackmailing the sisters were about to pull on her. "You know good and well you're getting your share soon enough."

" _WOOF!_ " Rowan barked loudly.

"That's right, now wait like good girls."

Moira whined. But both dogs unwittingly revealed their internal glee with their rapidly-wagging docked tails.

Alistair then chuckled as he rolled onto his knees and brushed off his breeches and backside. "You know, you're scarily good at making them behave. I can never get them to obey me like that."

At that, Alora snorted. "Maybe because you spoil them rotten and give them everything they want, perhaps?"

"I don't give them _everything_!" the king protested. "Just... most things."

"Your children are going to run all over you. Oh wait," she grinned devilishly as she began pulling out food, "they already do."

Alistair's countenance bore an expression of feigned shock. "Hey, now! I am a perfectly good mabari father!" He glanced to his dogs. "Aren't I?"

Rowan and Moira gave enthusiastic barks in unison, tails wagging back and forth even faster, as if such gestures would emphasize their agreement.

Alora sighed heavily and shook her head. "I didn't say you were bad, only that you are far too much of a pushover." And then, as if to demonstrate, she gave his shoulder a hard shove.

The king promptly fell backwards into the grass again, arms splayed dramatically to the sides and his crown nearly falling off. "Oh, yes. There I go again. Pushed over. So easi- _AAGH!_ "

He was cut off abruptly as Rowan and Moira descended upon him with slobbery kisses.

At last, with both the king and his persistent companions occupied, Alora seized the opportunity to organize the picnic setting before the three of them could interrupt it further. Regardless of the fact she and Alistair were on "royal business," they would be expected back at Denerim within an appropriate hour. They would have to stay mindful of how much time they spent out here...

It was only a few minutes before Alora had everything spread out on the ground atop the simple white cloth packed in the basket: white honey bread, Fereldan strawberry preserves, a jar of sweet pickles, a whole roast hen as well as two druffalo steaks (those were for Rowan and Moira), two bottles of dark ale, and a quarter of a pound cake drizzled with chocolate icing.

Seeing as Alistair had yet to fend off his mabari, the Captain unwrapped the pair of druffalo steaks and whistled. "Ohhh, giiiiiiirls...."

Rowan and Moira stopped, glancing back over their shoulders. Grinning, Alora held the steaks aloft. "See these?"

Moira licked her chops. _Loudly_.

Then, tossing the pair of steaks, Alora cried, "Go get 'em!"

The meat never touched the ground.

She might have suspected the mabari could sprout wings and fly, considering how the two sisters suddenly became airborne. With frightening precision, they caught their steaks in their mouths before all four paws ever touched back down, and once they landed, they immediately took off together to devour their prizes. Alistair, finally free of them, made a face.

"Ugh... I'm just going to go to the stream and wash up. I'll be back in a minute."

Alora chuckled. No doubt His Majesty would prefer to eat without dog slobber all over him, his "children" or not.

And as she sat there, waiting for him to return, the Captain found her mind wandering to the thoughts of what his real children might be like...

_Children with you, maybe?_

At that, Alora slammed the portcullis down on those musings before they wandered any further into dangerous territory. What was she thinking? She was in a covert relationship with the king, true, but that _did not_ a wife and mother make.

But as she saw the king wandering back from the stream with the most impish grin on his face, she couldn't help but wonder...

"Free of slobber, Your Majesty?" she asked, forcing her thoughts to the present.

Alistair chuckled. "Until they decide to pin me down again. Best get to eating before they come back, right?"

With that, the two began devouring their packed lunch with gusto. First went the bread, pickles, and chicken, the bones of the latter going to the still-begging Rowan and Moira. Then the two indulged in their chocolate-drizzled pound cake, helped by generous smears of rich strawberry preserves. Alora enjoyed it all - the fruits of the castle chef's talented labor - but the dessert, well, _took the cake_...

"Maker, I'm stuffed!" Alistair exclaimed at last, leaning back against the tree they sat under and patting his belly in satisfaction. Alora did the same, releasing a contented sigh as Alistair put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him.

"So am I," she said, grinning up at him.

"Good."

Then, tilting her face farther upwards, Alistair planted a warm, sweet kiss to her lips - lips that still tasted of chocolate and strawberries. Alora melted into him, happiness filling her to the brim as everything else vanished. Here in this peaceful, secluded grove, with only the woodland animals to watch them, they were no longer king and captain, but just Alistair and Alora. Two people making their way through the chaotic world as best as they could manage. Now, just for a moment, they could ignore the politics and the danger and just... relax...

" _WOOF!_ "

Rowan. The mabari's bark was almost indignant as she and her sister swiftly closed in on the pair. Rowan trotted to Alistair's side, Moira to Alora's, and without hesitation, both dogs flopped on top of the humans' outstretched legs, heads burrowing into their torsos for pets.

"Nosy and needy _children_ ," Alistair sighed with a roll of his eyes, at last giving in to Rowan's pestering and scratching the panting hound behind her cropped ears. All the while, Moira had taken it upon herself to lavish some classic mabari attention on Alora, bestowing her own slobber-laden kisses on her master's partner.

Alas, it was no use to protest, and the Captain let herself be subject to the dog's whims.

After all, if she was going to let Alistair into her life, she couldn't leave out his kids.


End file.
